[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 115 (Thursday, July 28, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5012-S5013]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      CRISIS IN THE HORN OF AFRICA

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise today to bring attention to the 
ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa. More than 11 million 
people--twice the population of my State of Maryland--are now in need 
of emergency assistance to survive.
  Large portions of the Horn of Africa region are now in the grip of 
one of the worst humanitarian crises in the region in recent decades. 
Nearly half of the population in Somalia is in urgent need of 
assistance, and malnutrition rates are on the rise in neighboring 
Ethiopia and Kenya. Without the immediate action of the international 
community, it is projected that an additional 180,000 people will 
perish in the coming months due to the drought and famine.
  It is difficult to fully comprehend the levels of human suffering 
currently occurring in the region, as refugees flee famine-affected 
areas. People are literally walking for days without food and water to 
try to reach food and safety. More than 166,000 desperate Somalis are 
estimated to have fled their country to neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia 
in recent months--approximately 3,500 people are arriving every day at 
refugee camps in those countries compounding the already tenuous 
humanitarian situation in the region.
  On July 21, the United Nations declared a famine in two regions in 
southern Somalia. This declaration is not done lightly and is the first 
declared since 1992. Famine is only declared when acute child 
malnutrition rates exceed 30 percent and more than 2 people per 10,000 
die per day. The U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, 
reports that the under-5 death rates in southern Somalia are higher 
than 4 children per 10,000 per day in all areas and as high as 13 to 20 
per 10,000 per day in areas of south central Somalia. Already, 
outbreaks of measles, cholera, and watery diarrhea have been reported 
in affected areas as well. Unless this is addressed immediately through 
immunization campaigns and medical treatment, more people will perish 
from these preventable diseases.
  The United States is one of the largest donors of emergency 
assistance to the region, helping more than 4.4 million of those in 
need and providing over $431 million since last October. The actions 
taken by our Nation and the international community in anticipation of 
the drought last year has helped save countless lives. Through the 
Famine Early Warning System, we saw data come in, and we were able to 
move resources into the region and implement programs to provide food 
in critically affected areas throughout the Horn of Africa. However, 
emergency assistance alone cannot solve the underlying long-term 
problems. The United States continues to provide longer term 
development assistance through Feed the Future and other programs, 
which are working in the region to address the root causes of hunger 
and malnutrition.
  USAID Administrator Shah was in Kenya last week and met with Somali 
refugees there. He met with a woman who had traveled for 33 days by 
foot with her two children and suffered a robbery along the way, in 
order to arrive at a refugee camp in Kenya and have access to safety, 
food, and basic human security. He also visited with a 4-year-old boy 
who, in the acute malnutrition wing of the hospital at the

[[Page S5013]]

camp, weighed only 19 pounds and was reliant on a nasal feeding tube 
and very specific feeding regimens in order to, hopefully, survive. 
There are countless more stories like this, of people who risked their 
lives to bring themselves and their families to a safe environment.
  This crisis has several contributing factors--most notably the worst 
drought on record in 60 years, which has devastated crops and 
livestock. But another major contributor to this crisis is the complete 
lack of governance in Somalia, a failed state for more than two 
decades, and the ongoing conflict there and in particular, the al-
Qaida-affiliated Somali militia, al-Shabaab. Since 2009, al-Shabaab has 
prevented most Western aid organizations from operating in their 
territory, and it is no coincidence that the areas of famine are areas 
controlled by al-Shabaab. My sincerest hope is that al-Shabaab will 
stand aside and allow international organizations to assist people in 
their territory, people essentially held hostage by this radical, 
Islamist group.
  The U.N. estimates that an additional $300 million will be needed 
just in the next few months to help those affected by this humanitarian 
disaster and that approximately $1.8 billion will be needed to fully 
address the massive scope of this crisis and help the people in the 
Horn of Africa. Without this crucially important funding, nearly 
200,000 people could die. To date, this appeal is less than half way 
met by the international community. The international community must do 
more to meet this appeal.
  This situation is a clear example of the critical importance of 
maintaining a strong U.S. commitment to emergency food assistance. The 
House of Representatives passed a fiscal year 2012 Agriculture 
appropriations bill that would cut funding for emergency food 
assistance by 75 percent from just 3 years ago. This comes at a time 
when not only is there famine in the Horn of Africa, but around the 
world needs are increasing as food prices remain high and the number of 
people affected or displaced by natural disasters and conflict 
continues to increase.
  The international disaster assistance level specified in the House 
State-Foreign Ops appropriations bill for fiscal year 2012 would result 
in emergency humanitarian programming reaching 19 million fewer 
disaster-affected people than it would if the account were appropriated 
at the fiscal year 2011 level, based on average costs per person by the 
Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance at USAID between 2006 and 2009.
  If we cut the migration and refugee assistance and emergency refugee 
and migration accounts, as the House Foreign Operations bill does, we 
would jeopardize U.S. support for many of the world's 48 million 
forcibly displaced people, the majority of whom are assisted and 
protected by the international community. This includes almost 1 
million Somalis. Before the current crisis in the Horn, 725,000 Somalis 
were seeking refuge in the region. Since the onset of the current 
crisis, 100,000 Somalis have arrived in Kenya and 75,000 in Ethiopia. 
Obviously, cuts of that magnitude would lead to catastrophic 
consequences. This could affect millions; primarily women and children 
suffering from hunger as a result of conflict and natural disasters 
would lose access to lifesaving food. This would significantly reduce 
America's ability to address instability in volatile countries and 
decrease its capacity to respond quickly to the needs of hungry people 
affected by conflict and natural disasters.
  Aside from the national security implications for the United States 
in this already unstable region, the U.S. Government has a moral 
responsibility to help the least fortunate, both at home and abroad. As 
a global leader, the United States should not shy away from helping the 
least fortunate, regardless of race, religion, or nationality. In 
addition, the United States should encourage greater international 
participation. It is the moral, human course of action to take, but it 
is also the smart thing to do: a more stable and prosperous Somalia 
keeps the rest of the world and the United States more secure as well.

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